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Down the Dark Valley of Life’s End – A Daughter’s Tale

They say that regret is the most painful thing in the world. They’re right. And when your loved one is struggling in their last breath, you wouldn’t want to bear that kind of pain. Here is a daughter’s story worth your time to read:

In the hours leading to my father’s passing, all of our family were huddled in the hospital’s ICU (Intensive Care Unit) waiting room. We took turns in keeping watch over him along with his nurses. Somehow, it was already hovering over our minds that it might be the end of him. But we were not accepting it, or at least, I wasn’t accepting it. He was there, lying on the hospital bed with all the tubes fastened on different parts of his body. His chest was rising up and down, but it was because of the oxygen tank pumping air into him. His heartbeat was deteriorating. His kidney was no longer functioning. His body temperature was declining.

To think of it as his last moment was a harsh though, so I had to push it out of my mind. However, there was a nagging fear in my heart every time the speaker blares of an announcement calling for the family members of the ICU patients. In less than 48 hours, my father grew from a groaning man curled up in a fetal position to an almost lifeless body fighting for his life. He had acute pancreatitis. In the end, he lost it.

The loss of a loved one is like walking through a dark valley where you don’t really know what you can expect to happen next. Even before he finally let go, his doctor already advised us to talk to him, speak to his ears as he can still hear. He encouraged us to tell him the words that will not leave us regretting of his passing. I didn’t have the strength to ask what my other family members said, but on my end, I tried my best to let him know I love him, and I was thankful of all that He did for me. I thought that was already enough. I thought I wouldn’t be regretting anything. But how wrong I was!

A time did come that I regretted not having said enough for him. You see, the journey through the dark valley will bring in more questions and mostly with no answers. It’s a journey where tears are your closest companion. It’s a journey where not one word of sympathy or empathy will suffice. It’s a place where the ache will continue to widen towards a seemingly endless extent. But it’s a place you ought to be in before the mourning turns to morning.

At Elite Hospice of Texas, we are your sojourners through this dark valley when your loved one is in their last hours. With our Hospice Care in Dallas, Texas, we provide an opportunity for your beloved to manage their pains so you can have quality time together in these last moments. If you need support during trying times like this, you can tap for our hospice care services.